Sooo glad it’s Friday! But man, anyone else notice how fast the weeks fly by? I can’t believe how quickly this year has been going.

I’m looking forward to a mellow weekend. The only real thing we have planned is heading to the Bruno Mars/ Pharrell concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday. SO EXCITED! We always try to see a few shows during the summer at the Bowl. It’s just such a fun venue!

I’m a sucker for a good picnic, so below I’m giving you my must haves for a concert picnic at the Bowl. Yes, box wine. It won’t break or roll or any of that. Take it out of the box and just put the foil bladder into your cooler. * *A little tip** Place the foil bladder on the VERY bottom of your cooler and pack all the food and whatnot on top. If the Bowl is not a sponsored ”Bowl” event, technically you are not allowed to bring in alcohol. BUT this trick works EVERY time we go!

It has been a full week since Coachella 2010 wrapped up in the desert of So Cal. I had not been since 2006 and boy has it evolved! First off…HOLY crowds batman! I could not believe how many people they now let into the venue. Back when I was going every year…2002-2006…the crowds were around 80,000 people. Now, from what I heard on the radio, the crowd is 200,000+!!!! Yikes! Let me tell ya, it felt like it!

Ok, but I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let me start at the beginning. First mistake, don’t go to Coachella with friends who do not have their ticket to the event yet. It usually sells out and/or it’s a major pain in the..well you know..to get tickets once there. I ended up missing the first day of the show because no one had a ticket other than me. I didn’t want to go by myself, so we went out to dinner and had a fun night instead. With that being said, my friend Ana somehow hooked us up with some MAJOR VIP artist passes to the event on Saturday by diligently checking on Craigslist . So of course I sold my ticket asap to use the much better hookup! Bliss. It was awesome.

With the artist passes we could not only go into the upgraded VIP area (which people pay dearly to get into), but we could go into the” no access for anyone normal” area! This area was where the bands had their trailers, a lounge area was set up for celebrities and the bands, there was free alcohol, we could go anywhere backstage we wanted to and we got AMAZING parking. I don’t think I could ever go back with just general admission again. I’ve tasted the good life and it is sa-weeet!

Blurry Muse. I wasn’t a huge fan before this show. Now after seeing them live I love them!

It was a fabulous weekend albeit tiring as heck. I never thought I would come that close to so many celebrities and music artists. I had a run in with BEYONCE for goodness sake! That’s a whole story in itself really. Every year I say I’ll never go again, but if I line up artist passes next year…I’M GOING!

It has been three long years since I’ve gone to one of my favorite music events, the Coachella Valley Music Festival. My first Coachella encounter started way back in 2001 when I was 25 *sniff sniff*. My how time flies! It’s an unbelievable experience that you can only understand once you have gone. There is something magical about seeing your favorite bands out in that beautiful desert with tens of thousands of other people. But of course there ARE downfalls….heat like you wouldn’t believe (I was there the year it was 109 degrees and the festival had NOT put up shade areas like they now have), long lines for bathrooms and beer (you MUST have beer..its so hot and its the ultimate refresher during the 4pm heat), and some serious winds that sometimes end up very cold (like they did in 2002). So I’ve come up with a list of my essentials for the weekend that have gotten me through the heat, the cold, the wind, the lines..you name it. Here they are! Oh, and word to the wise…don’t wear super nice stuff! PLEASE! This is the place where it will get broken, ruined, lost, stolen or what have you. I know you want to look good, but be smart about your attire.

1. First and foremost…you gotta have a hat! Seriously, I’m pretty white bread and now that I’m 33 its not so cool to let my shoulders and face fry beyond belief just to look cute. The wider the better, but if you can’t swing a big hat just wear one that will at least cover that nose.

American Eagle Zig Zag Fedora $19.50

So cute with a flowy sundress and sandals! This WILL keep that sun from scorching you.

J. Crew Summer Straw Hat $30.00

2. Clothes that will keep you cool during the day! I’m kind of in love with the first dress. I might just have to go back to Forever 21 and get this (I was there yesterday). Perfect with that big hat and some cute metallic sandals!

Tribal Maxi Tube Dress-Forever 21 $14.50

The whole outfit actually works. I love the skirt because its got enough room to move in which is needed since at some point you’ll need to sit on the ground.

Any kind of body wipe will do, but since I’m a clean freak this is a must for me. Right around dusk I usually throw on some jeans (that I bring in my backpack) and I wipe myself clean with some wipes to get off all that sunscreen, sweat, and dirt. By nighttime rolls around I smell good while other people in the crowd…..well they don’t.

No-Rinse Bathing Wipes-Drugstore.com $3.69

There you have it..the little things that make watching a massive concert in the desert a little more bearable enjoyable! Of course there are the a few I didn’t include like water and sunglasses, but since most of the people going are from LA, well do you really think they would forget those two things? Probably not. See ya in the desert! And here are some images from the last Coachella I went to in 2006…

Crazy sculpture!

Yes, this guy is COVERED in glowsticks! Now if only I had taken a picture of the guy with the cork hat.

My good natured husband who lets me drag him along every year. He’s not really the big crowd, hot desert event sort of person. Unfortunately, this year he can’t go because he’s actually working a high tech geeky thing FOR the event that weekend. Yes, I’m going to be pulling a solo…no kid, no hubby…weekend!

I may not look like it, but I can tell you at this point I was hotter than Hades, my shoulders were just starting to burn and I realized that it was going to be a VERY VERY hot day!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the other half and I went to see Yaz and the Psychedelic Furs at the OC Fair last Thursday. Since Reed and I are not exactly spring chickens anymore, we tend to feel quite old at most of the concerts we go to these days. However, it’s always great to attend an 80′s genre show because we feel like some of the youngest ones in there, which is a nice change!

I’ve seen the Psychedelic Furs play probably about 8 times or so. And sadly everytime I see them, the singer gets worse and worse. His poor voice is just not what it use to be. He can barely hit most of the notes and his voice overall is so much more raspy than it use to be. I know his voice just has that quality, but I’m sure years of smoking may have helped contribute to it’s demise.

But then there’s Yaz…. WOW! WOW! WOW! Freaking amazing! I was really young when the band was in it’s hayday (probably early elementary school), so I never attended concerts back then. I’m pretty sure however, that if I had gone to a show in the 80′s, that this show would have been exactly like then! The stage setup, the lights…it was oh so New Wave. Just brilliant! If you aren’t familiar with Yaz here is what Wikipedia says about them:

Yazoo (known as Yaz in the U.S.) are an Englishsynthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of top ten hits in the British charts in the early 1980s. It was formed in late 1981 by former Depeche Mode songwriter Vince Clarke (synthesizer) and English singer Alison Moyet (vocals), and was signed to Mute Records in the United Kingdom.Yazoo’s debut single “Only You” backed with “Situation,” was released on March 15, 1982 and rose to number two in the UK charts. Yazoo released successful studio albums, Upstairs at Eric’s in 1982 and the more successful You and Me Both in 1983. Shortly after, Moyet and Clarke decided to break up. Moyet pursued a solo career while Clarke founded Erasure, another synth pop group. Yazoo reunited in 2008 with a tour in Europe and the United States and the release of a four-disc box set. Though short-lived, Yazoo continues to influence and inspire many of today’s bands, including LCD Soundsystem, Shiny Toy Guns and Blaqk Audio.So immediately my husband and I felt like total idiots. All these years both of us thought the singer was a man. Nope, very wrong indeed…the singer was Alison Moyet. Even as she started singing the first song, we both kept looking at each other saying, “But seriously, it sounds like a guy.” But as the concert progressed Alison started sounding more feminine to our ears. She was wonderful throughout the entire show. Her voice is just perfect! They played all the hits and some lesser known ones. And of course we danced our butts off!!! Actually the whole audience did. Everyone was moving and having a good time! That’s what makes a show for me. I love seeing everyone getting into the music and just letting go. Worth the price of admission and the hourly babysitter rate for sure.

We had a blast, ate a disgusting amount of junk food, and paid for it dearly come Friday morning. We were completely exhausted and our indigestion lasted until late Friday evening. Good times!

Oh so excited! Tonight the hubby and I have a sitter for the little one and we are headed to the OC Fair in Costa Mesa to see Yaz and the Psychedelic Furs. WHOO HOO! Not only am I totally in need of a night out with the boy and a little break from the baby, but I am an 80′s music freak of sorts. I was a little young when both of these bands were in their hayday (elementary school), but as I got into junior high I was all about the New Wave stuff.

I find it funny that right now the music scene is so reminisant of the early to mid 80′s sound. My husband actually just sent me an email this morning about a band he ran across and thought I would like. I actually heard this group on Perez Hilton a while ago and until now had totally forgotten that I loved them and wanted to go download some music for my Ipod. In any case check them out at http://www.thisisalphabeat.com/. Alphabeat is quirky, danceable and just so fun!